Imphal, May 28: Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Thursday said security forces are carrying out search and combing operations to trace those held hostage by armed groups.
During a visit to Makhan Naga village in Kangpokpi district, he told reporters that four persons, suspected to be involved in the kidnapping of the six Naga people, have been arrested.
The government is taking the issue seriously, and search and combing operations by security forces are underway to trace the hostages, the chief minister said.
More than 38 people were abducted and held hostage by armed groups in Kangpokpi and Senapati districts on May 13, hours after three church leaders were killed in an ambush in Kangpokpi district.
Of them, 31 people have been released, including 12 Naga women and 16 Kukis. Six Naga men, however, continued to be held hostage, and their whereabouts are not yet known.
Kuki Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Kuki tribes in the state, claimed that 14 people from the community continued to be held hostage by Naga groups.
Singh said investigations were underway to nab the culprits and assured people that the hostages would be traced out soon.
The Makhan Naga Village in Kangpokpi district also has a Relief Camp for Internally Displaced Persons.
Singh met those taking shelter at the Makhen Baptist Church and distributed relief materials.
The village chief told the chief minister that many Nagas in Kangpokpi district had left their villages out of fear.(PTI)
